Gorgeous interior at the Green Center flows into Prelude, with furnishings and lighting that are perfect for a dinner with friends or a romantic evening. Great before a show, but also would be fun as a destination for drinks and a nice meal. University wait staff was well-trained and attentive. Bar tenders - friendly and skilled. Definitely will go back
JeanneM
ugh this was such a disappointment, limited and confusing menu, pre-cooked hamburgers reheated, cold french fries and confused wait staff. Please someone change the management at this beautiful restaurant and raise it to the level of the overall experience on the green center
CharleneS
Lovely restaurant with excellent service. I started with the Israeli cous cous salad, which was delicious. My husband had the soup which was also wonderful. He opted for a second appetizer rather than an entree -- the lobster salad, which was also wonderful. I had the Korean fried chicken. It was nice and crispy, but the marinade was only so so, I thought -- although this might just be a matter of taste. For dessert, he had the sorbets -- good but nothing special. I had the cheese plate. Unfortunately, the Humboldt Fog, one of my favorite cheeses was way over the hill, ammoniated. I ate it -- but should have sent it back. Plate could also have used more of the jelly and it was hard to get at the honey.
RosemaryM
We always eat at Prelude before an event at GMC. However I was shocked when we were charged $18 each for a well vodka tonic. Needless to say we won't be ordering drinks from the bar again
Zlorainey
I hope we were just there on an off night, but service was slow and the food wasn't worth the price. They're lucky that they're the only restaurant near the performance center!
Jackie
Food was excellent and a great way to dine prior to the concert at Weil Hall. We had the pre fix menu which is $47 pp for two courses. My husband enjoyed his duck and I loved the seabass. Attractively presented with lots of flavor.
sunshinegirl
We always eat at Prelude before the symphony concerts at the Green Center. It never disappoints. My husband had a soup that was fantastic and I had a shaved asparagus salad that was quite good. It included rocket greens which are basically arugula, which are not my favorite. However they were good with the asparagus and dressing. We both had a filet mignon, cooked perfectly. We did not feel the meat was the best flavor of all the filets we've had but it was very good and we felt it truly was a fine dining experience.
TheColonel
And after the concert it's time for dinner ?I ordered what they call a lentil bowl ?that has roasted pistachios, avocado arugula, finely shaved pink cucumber & white beet . I love the dish. My main course is filet mignon medium rare and who could go wrong with a Carol Shelton Zinfandel ?vintage 2015 from Mendocino County. The filet Came with some surprises like sautéed wild mushrooms , spinach and a wonderful potato gratin pie. My friends Dannie & Alana should be here too. Oh I love Sonoma county, good views good music great concerts and excellent food here!
noname
The service and general ambiance were very good as usual, but the food not so much. We have dined at Prelude several times in the past but we were rather disappointed this time. The exception was the baked apple dessert which was very good. The duck entree was rather tasteless and overcooked. It was on a bunch of some kind of noodles which I must assume were not intended to be eaten since they were almost rock hard and tasteless. The steak dish was just ok but seemed rather low quality I thought - thin and rather fatty. Nothing like the fine piece of filet we had there a month or so ago. The first courses, were just not at all to our liking either. Since we attend Green Center performances often and enjoy the Prelude bar, I'm hoping the food improves - but until then I don't expect we'll be dining there or recommending it to friends.
TheColonel
And this is my favorite place to eat ? at after a concert ?we're having there a whole wheat bread and butter, ?Persian style maftoul soup ?with couscous, winter Squash , yogurt , & croutons, swordfish (Ducky's favorite)with a great green olive tempanaude , Brown rice , rapini, Muhammara and broccoli. ?And a glass of Mendocino county light ale ?and a Sonoma Sangiovese Rosè?. For me the beer was a bit too bitter ?but the rose was absolutely perfect with everything!? Always great service here from the students ??????at Sonoma State University wait staff. Oh I forgot a double espresso to cap the meal☕️
We have been to Prelude on many occasions and usually find it outstanding but sadly very inconsistent with the food. My husband had the wild rice first course which was outstanding and generous, my charred Caesar was skimpy and very mediocre though the dressing was good. We both had the swordfish and it was very average. My husband had a piece of fish 1/2 the thickness of mine. It was rather dry and was not very flavorful. We ordered one apple streusel but it wasn't streusel at all. It was basically a good tasting baked apple with a bit of ice cream. We should have asked for a knife as it was very hard to eat with the skins and whole apple. We do love the wait staff as they're students and though they're inconsistent in their abilities to wait tables, we don't mind as they're wonderful! You can usually count on somewhat slow service (partially because of the kitchen too). The woman manager (Alison?) is outstanding and consistently sharp and on top of things. She's also very friendly and helpful. We realize it's hard to find good chefs to work just irregularly as this is primarily a performance oriented venue. We'll go back as it's a lovely setting. It is pricey at fixed prices from $47 to $57 for two or three courses but can be worth it when the food is great.
noname
We've dined at Prelude a number of times and most often the service and food has been great. Not so much this time. Generally the quality of the food (particularly the steak) was much diminished. And the service was not so good. We arrived 2 hours before the concert. It took 45 minutes between our first course and the main course. And there was no time left for dessert - we had to have it after the concert. We waited for it but had to ask for the bill and then rush to get to the theater - without having had the dessert. I must say that when we did have (the baked apple thing) it after the concert it was great!! We certainly hope the next visit will be better.
DocJ
I wish I was told that my filet was cooked sous-vide. I'm not a fan of this style; it tasted chewy and was not juicy. A huge disappointment. The Assistant Manager, Alison, was wonderful in her honesty and candor. The servers are students and ours was very ‘green'; he couldn't explain the preparation of the salmon or anything else. Alison took full responsibility. We order a 2013 1/2 bottle of wine but they brought out a 2015. Once we noted that, Alison made good and bought the 2013 full bottle and poured us half the bottle and then proceeded to encourage me to take the full bottle at the 1/2 bottle cost. Alison is the epitome of customer service. Instead of taking the remaining 1/2 home, I asked she do an educational moment with the students serving so they learn. I'm trying Prelude again tonight; another show at the Green Music Center; and there's no other option for fine dining nearby ... that's a shame.
J Wiley
Delicious little coffee Hut with outdoor seating only. There's salad, donuts, chips, and other snacky things. Great coffee!
foodlover1943
Prelude is attached to the symphony hall where I have season tickets so we decided to have dinner after the performance. I would not recommend for elderly or handicapped. The salad was bad, the fish was over cooked and the dessert was sad. The meal was three courses and over priced. The restaurant is beautiful with a wonderful garden and there is a fireplace. I will not go back.
Gorgeous interior at the Green Center flows into Prelude, with furnishings and lighting that are perfect for a dinner with friends or a romantic evening. Great before a show, but also would be fun as a destination for drinks and a nice meal. University wait staff was well-trained and attentive. Bar tenders - friendly and skilled. Definitely will go back
ugh this was such a disappointment, limited and confusing menu, pre-cooked hamburgers reheated, cold french fries and confused wait staff. Please someone change the management at this beautiful restaurant and raise it to the level of the overall experience on the green center
Lovely restaurant with excellent service. I started with the Israeli cous cous salad, which was delicious. My husband had the soup which was also wonderful. He opted for a second appetizer rather than an entree -- the lobster salad, which was also wonderful. I had the Korean fried chicken. It was nice and crispy, but the marinade was only so so, I thought -- although this might just be a matter of taste. For dessert, he had the sorbets -- good but nothing special. I had the cheese plate. Unfortunately, the Humboldt Fog, one of my favorite cheeses was way over the hill, ammoniated. I ate it -- but should have sent it back. Plate could also have used more of the jelly and it was hard to get at the honey.
We always eat at Prelude before an event at GMC. However I was shocked when we were charged $18 each for a well vodka tonic. Needless to say we won't be ordering drinks from the bar again
I hope we were just there on an off night, but service was slow and the food wasn't worth the price. They're lucky that they're the only restaurant near the performance center!
Food was excellent and a great way to dine prior to the concert at Weil Hall. We had the pre fix menu which is $47 pp for two courses. My husband enjoyed his duck and I loved the seabass. Attractively presented with lots of flavor.
We always eat at Prelude before the symphony concerts at the Green Center. It never disappoints. My husband had a soup that was fantastic and I had a shaved asparagus salad that was quite good. It included rocket greens which are basically arugula, which are not my favorite. However they were good with the asparagus and dressing. We both had a filet mignon, cooked perfectly. We did not feel the meat was the best flavor of all the filets we've had but it was very good and we felt it truly was a fine dining experience.
And after the concert it's time for dinner ?I ordered what they call a lentil bowl ?that has roasted pistachios, avocado arugula, finely shaved pink cucumber & white beet . I love the dish. My main course is filet mignon medium rare and who could go wrong with a Carol Shelton Zinfandel ?vintage 2015 from Mendocino County. The filet Came with some surprises like sautéed wild mushrooms , spinach and a wonderful potato gratin pie. My friends Dannie & Alana should be here too. Oh I love Sonoma county, good views good music great concerts and excellent food here!
The service and general ambiance were very good as usual, but the food not so much. We have dined at Prelude several times in the past but we were rather disappointed this time. The exception was the baked apple dessert which was very good. The duck entree was rather tasteless and overcooked. It was on a bunch of some kind of noodles which I must assume were not intended to be eaten since they were almost rock hard and tasteless. The steak dish was just ok but seemed rather low quality I thought - thin and rather fatty. Nothing like the fine piece of filet we had there a month or so ago. The first courses, were just not at all to our liking either. Since we attend Green Center performances often and enjoy the Prelude bar, I'm hoping the food improves - but until then I don't expect we'll be dining there or recommending it to friends.
And this is my favorite place to eat ? at after a concert ?we're having there a whole wheat bread and butter, ?Persian style maftoul soup ?with couscous, winter Squash , yogurt , & croutons, swordfish (Ducky's favorite)with a great green olive tempanaude , Brown rice , rapini, Muhammara and broccoli. ?And a glass of Mendocino county light ale ?and a Sonoma Sangiovese Rosè?. For me the beer was a bit too bitter ?but the rose was absolutely perfect with everything!? Always great service here from the students ??????at Sonoma State University wait staff. Oh I forgot a double espresso to cap the meal☕️
Restaurantji Recommends
We have been to Prelude on many occasions and usually find it outstanding but sadly very inconsistent with the food. My husband had the wild rice first course which was outstanding and generous, my charred Caesar was skimpy and very mediocre though the dressing was good. We both had the swordfish and it was very average. My husband had a piece of fish 1/2 the thickness of mine. It was rather dry and was not very flavorful. We ordered one apple streusel but it wasn't streusel at all. It was basically a good tasting baked apple with a bit of ice cream. We should have asked for a knife as it was very hard to eat with the skins and whole apple. We do love the wait staff as they're students and though they're inconsistent in their abilities to wait tables, we don't mind as they're wonderful! You can usually count on somewhat slow service (partially because of the kitchen too). The woman manager (Alison?) is outstanding and consistently sharp and on top of things. She's also very friendly and helpful. We realize it's hard to find good chefs to work just irregularly as this is primarily a performance oriented venue. We'll go back as it's a lovely setting. It is pricey at fixed prices from $47 to $57 for two or three courses but can be worth it when the food is great.
We've dined at Prelude a number of times and most often the service and food has been great. Not so much this time. Generally the quality of the food (particularly the steak) was much diminished. And the service was not so good. We arrived 2 hours before the concert. It took 45 minutes between our first course and the main course. And there was no time left for dessert - we had to have it after the concert. We waited for it but had to ask for the bill and then rush to get to the theater - without having had the dessert. I must say that when we did have (the baked apple thing) it after the concert it was great!! We certainly hope the next visit will be better.
I wish I was told that my filet was cooked sous-vide. I'm not a fan of this style; it tasted chewy and was not juicy. A huge disappointment. The Assistant Manager, Alison, was wonderful in her honesty and candor. The servers are students and ours was very ‘green'; he couldn't explain the preparation of the salmon or anything else. Alison took full responsibility. We order a 2013 1/2 bottle of wine but they brought out a 2015. Once we noted that, Alison made good and bought the 2013 full bottle and poured us half the bottle and then proceeded to encourage me to take the full bottle at the 1/2 bottle cost. Alison is the epitome of customer service. Instead of taking the remaining 1/2 home, I asked she do an educational moment with the students serving so they learn. I'm trying Prelude again tonight; another show at the Green Music Center; and there's no other option for fine dining nearby ... that's a shame.
Delicious little coffee Hut with outdoor seating only. There's salad, donuts, chips, and other snacky things. Great coffee!
Prelude is attached to the symphony hall where I have season tickets so we decided to have dinner after the performance. I would not recommend for elderly or handicapped. The salad was bad, the fish was over cooked and the dessert was sad. The meal was three courses and over priced. The restaurant is beautiful with a wonderful garden and there is a fireplace. I will not go back.
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